Publication Order of Short Stories

Philip Kerr was born February 22, 1956, in Edinburgh. His family was Baptist. Kerr was educated in Northampton and later attended Melville College, intending to become a lawyer. He received Master’s degrees in both law and philosophy from the University of Birmingham, where he attended school from 1974 to 1980.

Kerr entered the workforce as an advertising copywriter. His intent with this job was the have an income while he had free time to write. He worked for several advertising companies, including Saatchi and Saatchi, for several years. In 1989, Kerr took the plunge to become a full-time writer. At that time, his first novel, March Violets was introduced and the Bernie Gunther series was initiated. The next year, the second book of the series was released. The third book appeared on bookstore shelves a year later. Interestingly, there is then a 16-year gap while Kerr focused his writing on other efforts. Finally, in 2007, a fourth book in the series was released. The series has continued, with an eighth book in the works currently.

Kerr says his love of Berlin before the wall came down was part of his drive to write the Bernie Gunther series. He made several trips to the city and spent hours walking the streets before the novels were fully brought to life. Kerr says he feels at home in the city, noting he has a dark sense of humor that fits the city well.

Kerr’s love of the city began in his college days. He says he studied German jurisprudence and philosophy during his postgraduate work. Because of the philosophy, he was drawn to Nazism and began visiting Berlin in 1988. Kerr notes that Berlin and St. Petersburg were the two most pivotal cities for the entire 20th century.

Kerr has written fiction and non-fiction and has even contributed to publications like The Sunday Times, The Evening Standard and The New Statesman. Kerr currently resides in London with his wife and three children. His wife is Jane Thynne, also a novelist.

Kerr has won awards for his writing. These include the British Crime Writers’ Association’s Ellis Peters Historical Fiction award in 2009 and Spain’s RBA International Prize for Crime Writing. His ability to merge thrilling detective work with addressing controversial social issues has received recognition and admiration the world over.

Kerr’s Bernie Gunther Series was his first foray into writing fiction. The novels are based in the 1930’s and take place in Germany and other locations. The novels cover the period of World War II and the Cold War. He also has written non-fiction and novels that do not link to his Bernie Gunther series. These novels are also considered noir, as Kerr explains evil is everywhere and Gunther is considered heroic despite questionable morals in those moments. Kerr questions how he would have acted if he were alive and living in Germany during these dark times. He says he hopes he would have done the right thing, and he likes to think that is what he would have done. However, he will never know since he was born years too late.

His novel, Field Gray, was nominated one of the best books of 2011 in the Mystery/Thriller category by Publisher’s Weekly. The book also was nominated for the Edgar Award for best novel for 2011. The book is the seventh in the Bernie Gunther series. It also was named one of the 50 most notable fiction books of the same year by The Washington Post. The novel’s title refers to the uniforms worn by the SS soldiers, which were designed by Hugo Boss.

Kerr writes children’s books under the name P.B. Kerr. These books follow John and Philippa Gaunt, who are djinn. This is called the Children of the Lamp series. This series has intrigued children with its stories of two children who live in New York City and find their destiny as djinn. The two are shown how to be djinn by their uncle Nimrod, who they spend the summer with. The books include adventures, battles and the need to save people (like Uncle Nimrod) who are held hostage by evil. The novels were first published in 2004.

Kerr has books published by Viking, Putnam, Quercus in London, Chatto & Windus, Hutchinson, Orion and Crown. His children’s books are published by Scholastic Press.

He believes when it comes to writing, “There is only good writing and less good writing.” Kerr is not a fan of genres, understanding that booksellers need a method to organize a bookshop but not agreeing that books really fall into these categories and subcategories. As a writer, he focuses on having the large picture in his head and understanding how he can take the reader where he wants them to go. His works have been called the thinking man’s thrillers. In Kerr’s opinion, this is something that should occur with all good writing. It should address larger issues.

One of Kerr’s favorite books is The Great Gatsby. He believes it one of the stronger works of American fiction. Kerr himself is not a reader of crime fiction, however, as he has no desire to have other writers influence him in his future works.

March Violets – Book One

Detective Bernie Gunther is introduced in this novel. The Berlin native is working on a murder investigation involving the daughter of a wealthy industrialist. Backdrops to the investigation include the 1936 Summer Olympics, violence and anti-semitism, as well as the foreshadowing of the coming war.

The Pale Criminal – Book Two

In this novel, readers find Bernie Gunther working with a fellow ex-police officer, Bruno Stahlecker. The duo are partners working a homosexual blackmail case. Suddenly, things take a turn. Stahlecker is killed on a stakeout. Meanwhile, Gunther is forced into the position of Kriminalkommissar in the security force of Obergruppenfuehrer Reinhard Heydrich. He is to look into the case of several murdered blonde Aryan girls. The murders are believed to be the work of a serial murderer. Gunther finds himself in the depths of the Nazi hierarchy, searching for a murderer that not only kills blonde Aryan girls, but it also turns out was responsible for Stahlecker’s death.

Master of the standalone thriller genre, Shari Lapena, is back. Author of The Couple Next Door and A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest is the latest novel by Shari. It takes place in a cozy mountain lodge in Winter where various people are staying for a romantic getaway. A blizzard cuts off the power and any contact with the outside world so everyone settles in for the long haul. Then a guest dies. And another. Knowing Shari's other books, this should be one we'll be reading late into the night. For more details or to pre-order, visit our Shari Lapena page.

Recommendations

Every 2 weeks we send out an e-mail with 6-8 Book Recommendations. We'll base this on various factors for example "If you like Jack Reacher..." or "If you like short stories in the horror genre". Insert your e-mail below to start getting these recommendations.

MISSING A BOOK?

I do my best to make sure the book lists are complete and current, but due to human or machine error while attempting to keep 3000+ authors up to date, the occasional book can be missed or will be listed under an alternate title. If you see one missing just send me an e-mail below. Thanks!

Author / Series

Book(s)

Featured Series

Our book series of the month is the Will Robie Series by David Baldacci. If you like Mitch Rapp, Jack Reacher, Jason Bourne etc then you'll love the Will Robie series. These are page turners to the max too and Baldacci knows how to keep you going all night long!

Featured Author

Bill Wenham is the author of various book series including The Inspector Charrington Mysteries and the Inspector Bruce Mysteries. He just started writing in his 80s to follow a life long dream. It’s an amazing story and the books he has written are pretty great too – his passion really shines through. Read more about Bills books.

Did You Know…

Although Anne Rice's birth name was Howard Allen O’Brien, she chose the name “Anne” when she entered the first grade at St. Alphonsus Grammar School